 Poster: A snowHead
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waynos, go during the week, it's hell on wheels at the weekends because of various "events" organised every damned Saturday and Sunday! I'm limited to weekends only at the moment and am using Stubai and Hintertux because they are not so fixated on having these things. annoying really as itz is on the season pass and the other 2 are not. I'm still undecided about buying a Tirol Card as well
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I went to Bregenzerwald on Saturday - No snow to be seen. Great day for walking the hills though.
I see Ischgl has it's big opening party in less than two weeks. That could be a big let down unless the weather changes quickly as there is very little snow to be seen on the webcams.
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Just had a look at Ischgl's webcams and it looks desperate.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Good photo report from German forum - last weekend pre opening in Obergurgl / Hochgurgl
Not a bad photos considering the weather.
http://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=41057
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 14-11-11 13:21; edited 1 time in total
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Tom W, Amazing what can be achieved with snowcannons! Great photos, thanks.
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Never seen mobile snow cannons before!!
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Tom W, looks great. Can't help feeling those resorts with poor artificial snow covering are going to suffer this side of Christmas
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Anyone know a good webcam site for Soll? The one's I've been looking at either seem to be showing historical shots...or none at all. Of course,it could be the case that they simply have not switched them on yet  Off there for a Christmas break,so just a little interested.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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russ_e, Not known ground level ones to be anything but moblle - they have big wheels so they can move them about and store them away during summer. I think the only static ones are those on high poles. Wish I had one for my road in winter, could have my own little slope! 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Quote: |
....skiing on Christmas day Infinately better than Turkey and crap TV
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Just remember to take a picture on your phone and send home to your mates and make them jealous. Off to Zillertal myself, not had a christmas at home for 10 years now and we've always found snow of sorts, everthing from two feet of fresh to an ever diminishing single piste per mountain with a ten mile drive to a different resort each day to stave off boredom. Not so worried this year as there's the Hintertux to try out if nothing lower down (that'll be a first for me, never boarded on a glacier before).
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Off to Kitzsteinhorn tomorrow, first time so not sure on the logistics of getting around. Going with meine frau und kinder, they will ski in the morning and then download. Hoping to get themselves to Zell am See for a walk around. Are there likely to be buses running from Kitzsteinhorn gondola station to Zell? If so how long is the ride? Otherwise I guess they can wonder around Kaprun for a couple of hours. Any tips much appreciated. I'll return the favour with a snow report tomorrow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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waynos, it's about 20 mins ride and if the galcier lifts are open I should think the buses to Zell will be running.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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waynos, there are two types of buses - the ones running the shuttle to and from the lower car parks and the ones going down to Kaprun and Zell. Both set off from the car park below the main cash desk. The buses going down to town pick up from directly next to the small shop - the car park ones are over by the fence on the left.
With any luck the place will be relatively quiet and only the buses running between Zell/Kaprun will be running. They run fairly frequently - the timetable is hung up on the bus stop. They do seem to run almost on a demand basis from watching them - the more people ,the more buses. Have a nice slide or six!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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waynos,
There's a ski bus from Kaprun town to the lift station and a bus from Kaprun to Zell am See (circa 20 mins).
http://www.oebb.at/
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Samerberg Sue, red 27, DB, cheers for the info guys. Never thought about the train website for bus times,
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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waynos, just missed you, for I was on the Kitzsteinhorn again today. You should have a great time. Weather was just as perfect as a week ago (if you're not looking for new snow, that is) and this time the Kristallbahn was running (it wasn't last week) and that made for a little more interest and variety. The Schmiedinger T-bars were again not running and I didn't bother going across that side this time, for the connecting track back to the Sonnenkar lift was a bit stony last week. Otherwise snow was much as before, firm but good to ski. Again not busy at all. Here's a photo from near the top of the Kristallbahn, looking over to Zell am See in the valley, and one of the snow cannons at work on that piste.
It is probably best to park in the car parks off to the right as you arrive (saves an uphill walk at the end of the day).
If they're stopping early, your family (and you) might like to walk down the Hohe Tauern Nationalpark Gallery, which leads from the Gipfelwelt 3000, the top station of the big cable car that goes up from the Alpincenter. The Gallery is a tunnel about 370 metres long that leads down to a viewing platform with fantastic views to the south. In my photos last week I implied that you could see the Grossglockner from the top of the glacier area but that was wrong. The pointed peak in the middle of that photo was the Grossvenediger, the Grossglockner is further left but you can see them all from the viewing platform (as well as real crevasses), as in this panorama (Grossglockner the high peak in the background near the left edge, Grossvenediger snowy, pointed in the middle). There are great (free) monoculars on the viewing platform which blend in the names of the mountains as you look through.
In the tunnel there are exhibits about the Kitzsteinhorn (explained in English and German) - my tip is to look at them on the way back up (gives you the chance to catch your breath). I particularly liked the Geophone, a device that lets you hear the mountain "creaking" as it grows (probably not for the nervous with all that mountain above you). There is also a film (presumably in German) but probably with great photography of the national park.
The best way to get to the Gipfelwelt 3000 is with the Gipfelbahn cable-car from just beside the Alpincenter (at the bottom end of the skiing area). You can eat up there but I didn't do so (I ate in the self-service Big Apple in the Alpincenter). If you take your skis with you, you can leave them at the top of the tunnel, if you explore that, and then take the little Gletscher-Shuttle funicular to get you back onto the skiing area (going along the track you can see in the middle of the photo below; it brings you out at the top of the fun-park).
Actually, you can ski down from beside the viewing platform (indeed also from the Gipfelwelt 3000, though that is more serious). I had thought of trying the run from the viewing platform today but it was gesperrt (closed). I have once skied it before but that wasn't yesterday, more like forty years ago, just a year or two after the tunnel was opened in 1970.
The lifts run on presently till 15:45 though it does get chilly as the shadow comes over the pistes in the afternoon.
Enjoy yourselves!
Edit: Corrected my spelling (  will go hide myself in a crevice) and took the chance to add this extra panorama taken from the viewing area at the end of the tunnel, showing the langlauf training area, the fun-park and the skiing area on the glacier as well as a glimpse of the way down from the platform to the pistes.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Wed 16-11-11 8:09; edited 1 time in total
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espri, thank you for the fantastic info, the tunnel and viewing platform sound just the ticket to keep my son entertained.
Looking forward to my ski trip tomorrow.
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espri, Lovely photos, really is on top of the world! 
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espri, great photos! The Kitzsteinhorn is my back up plan if the snow cover is poor in mid December (hopefully not) .... thanks for the pointers.
Kersh
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just got back from a good days skiing at the Kitzsteinhorn / Kaprun. espri,thanks again for the tip about the tunnel and viewing platform, the boy and adults really enjoyed that, amazing views towards Grossglockner and my friend was eyeing up some spring ski touring on another distant peak, which I think I agreed to do. The snow conditions were good, hard packed, a little ice here and there, didn't come across any rocks or stones. Skied down to Kristal, the lowest skiable point, hard packed snow but no stones. Busy but no queues, lots of race team, clinics, instructor courses going on. Really nice to be out and do a decent mileage on the skis, a bit of a drive but worth it.More locally weather the same, no surprise there, snow machines on again lower down this morning, slopes starting to fill in but still needs quite a bit more before opening anything more. Kersh, don't even think about back up plans, it will snow, hopefully.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Off to Hintertux tomorrow. Does anyone know what conditions are like? (i.e. should I pack the slalom skis...?)
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FlyingStantoni, cold, sunny and hard. It's going to be very crowded as it seems to be a long weekend in Poland and Czech Republic! Enjoy it though. I've postponed my visit to next Thursday and Friday!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Conditions are, indeed, cold, sunny and hard. Although the snow is pretty good on most runs - nice and grippy and, generally, not deteriorating much of the day.
Sunday was hell on the slopes, but today was fine.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just had email from snow-forecast.com saying snow is on its way in Solden! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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stevev, that only goes up to Saturday, I think it's going to change next week, but probably far too early to be sure, it can all change and often does!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've not been following it too closely but as far back as I can remember this has not happened before (i.e. not enough snow for end of Nov opening @ Obertauern) 
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| sharon1953 wrote: |
| Just had email from snow-forecast.com saying snow is on its way in Solden! |
Don't let snow-forecast mislead you.... It always predicts a precise snowfall forecast like 7 days in advance only for there to be no snow at all... Check again in a few days and see what it says..
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Leeds_Skier, Sölden has actually experienced some snowfall in the last few dry weeks as it caught some of the moisture being thrown at NE Italy I presume! I was surprised to hear that, but a friend who is based there training told me the snow was good and had been topped up!
A lot of the models are predicting another system going in that way again, so maybe they are being optimistic with reason in this particular case. You can but hope! 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Leeds_Skier, I know, I never believe any of them till I see it on the webcams. I've checked weather reports in the past when we are actually in the resorts just out of curiosity ... quite amazed how wrong all these forecast sites can be.
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Looks as though the Glaciers in Solden have had a top up, 10 lifts out of 35 open, 37 km of piste, not enough for a week and thousands of skiers that's for sure!
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FAQ
Wish I was there and not in grey old England.
Nice people BTW...always happy to brew up some herbal tea 
A select few will also be getting a photo.If you're skiing on the 25th....you just gotta let everyone know 
